Selling an Eq/ Jumper

[TXnGA]

I’m going to come right out and say,
im an event rider. I’ve done jumpers to get practice for show jumping, but I know very little about the selling scene in Jumpers/ Eq/ Hunters.

where do people advertise/ list horses sale ( to reach a wide audience?) websites? Word of mouth?

I have a young ISH that is better suited for jumpers or equitation and I have no idea where to start to sell him. Prices to expect for a horse like this? Questions? Videos people want to see? Far different than selling an event horse…

anyhelp would be much appreciated!!

Toying with taking him to a wellington to sell ( have connections there) - tell me the good the bad and the ugly.

Thank you!!

[Oliver4Ever]

Needs a show record to get any serious attention. If you can find a talented junior to show at a rated show that would be your best option.

[Prime_Time_Rider]

Post the horse on Big Eq. I agree that without a show record it will be difficult to sell your horse in the H/J. BTW, there is woman who posted on this site that she is looking for horse for her daughter to do the Jr. Eq and jumpers with and she doesn’t have a large budget (low to mid five figures, I think). You might find her post and send her a private message.

[Prime_Time_Rider]

Posted by Mydaughtersgroom under What to compromise? on the H/J forum. Check out her post.

[Renn_aissance]

Hi. I love Irish horses who flunked out of eventing careers and do the eq/jumpers instead. I have the world’s best horse due to this circumstance.

If you don’t want to spend a boodle on reschooling the horse, then you’re selling it as a going (?) jumper with equitation potential. Show off what it knows how to do. I’d want to see video of the horse going around either an eventing stadium phase or in a dedicated jumper class. I want to see the horse going in an organized working fashion, showing a change in length of stride where warranted instead of scurrying with its head up, and I want to see it doing a correct lead change in the turns rather than counter-cantering or skipping off. I mention these factors specifically because if you’re competing against time and faults you can get away with all manner of stylistic foibles that will make your horse an unappealing candidate for the equitation ring.

I would also appreciate a video showing correct flatwork- things like extension and collection at walk, trot, and canter; correct haunches-in and shoulder-in; half pass; counter canter; and again a correct back to front flying change both ways. This stuff is all icing on the cake of the way of going you’re showing off in the jumping video, but it would make the horse more appealing as a contender for a division it’s never done.

But it depends on how much you’re trying to sell for. If you know you have a horse who could command a higher asking price once proven, then ignore all this and send the horse to your connection in Florida and get a good junior to ride it around competently.

[OnDeck]

Wellington is only the way to go if you have a very specific type of horse. Horses in Wellington typically sell for $75k+++ so if you’re looking to sell in a price range much less than that, you won’t be finding many buyers. Plus, full board and training is likely to be $10k/month which quickly eats into your profits. However if you’re looking to sell in the mid five figures and your connections think he would fit in and can find you a good riding junior to show him a little, you could get $75k for a horse you would have sold for $50k anywhere else in the country. Of course he would have to be ready for very technically tracks.

If you decide not to send him south, make a video and post on Facebook and sales sites. I suggest putting him in jumper (vs eventer) tack and having a jumper person ride him for the video. It sounds ridiculous but some HJ people are unable to look past turnout and style differently than they’re used too.

[sandraeric]

Very informative.

[TXnGA]

All this information is great. He has competed up to (1.10) and I’ve jumped him to 1.45m, so he isn’t a green horse just younger. Priced in high fives before I take him to Wellington. I imported him knowing that if he wasn’t going to make upper level eventing than he is nice enough for the jumper or dressage market. He loves to jump.and the best Irish brain and personality.

Having a junior or sit on him makes sense for equitation, due to only juniors ride equitation, correct? Is just the rider judged in equitation or the horse too? I’m having a pro sit on him tomorrow and then he competes in some young horse classes before heading to Wellington.

That is is where my hesitation is in taking to Wellington, is it worth it to take a horse all the way down there? It won’t cost me an arm and a leg thankfully as he would only do the young horse classes and we have a place to stay and some top people interested in him. I’m torn with selling sooner in high fives or waiting for six figures, and I want him to go to a great home. He is still my “baby” and wouldn’t sell him if I had a money tree and could keep a jumper in my event barn.

How are rhe the lives of most Jumper/ equitation horses? What is a typical day for a horse? How often are horses competed? Being an event horse he is turned out 24/7 unless it’s storming, cold, or during the summer heat days. Just curious how the other half lives

[Redlei44]

@TXnGA

All this information is great. He has competed up to (1.10) and I’ve jumped him to 1.45m, so he isn’t a green horse just younger. Priced in high fives before I take him to Wellington. I imported him knowing that if he wasn’t going to make upper level eventing than he is nice enough for the jumper or dressage market. He loves to jump.and the best Irish brain and personality.

Having a junior or sit on him makes sense for equitation, due to only juniors ride equitation, correct? Is just the rider judged in equitation or the horse too? I’m having a pro sit on him tomorrow and then he competes in some young horse classes before heading to Wellington.

That is is where my hesitation is in taking to Wellington, is it worth it to take a horse all the way down there? It won’t cost me an arm and a leg thankfully as he would only do the young horse classes and we have a place to stay and some top people interested in him. I’m torn with selling sooner in high fives or waiting for six figures, and I want him to go to a great home. He is still my “baby” and wouldn’t sell him if I had a money tree and could keep a jumper in my event barn.

How are rhe the lives of most Jumper/ equitation horses? What is a typical day for a horse? How often are horses competed? Being an event horse he is turned out 24/7 unless it’s storming, cold, or during the summer heat days. Just curious how the other half lives

Everything costs more in Wellington - just make sure that your version of “not an arm and a leg” matches actual costs down there. But if you’re comfortable with costs, lots of shopping happens there for sure. Not sure if you mentioned it, but also make sure that whoever has expressed interest down there has also seen the video(s).

Speaking very generally, show jumpers and eq mounts in a show program are not going to be on 24x7 turnout. Lots of showing, where there is limited/no turnout available. At home, probably night turnout during summer and day turnout in winter. Number of shows per year depends entirely on owner and barn - some show a couple of weeks per year and some show 35 weeks a year. Number of classes per day is dependent on horse/job, usually or 2 jumping classes. Eq mounts need to be steady so they might show more or get hacked more to ensure that they’re quiet, depends on the horse.

[OnDeck]

@TXnGA

All this information is great. He has competed up to (1.10) and I’ve jumped him to 1.45m, so he isn’t a green horse just younger. Priced in high fives before I take him to Wellington. I imported him knowing that if he wasn’t going to make upper level eventing than he is nice enough for the jumper or dressage market. He loves to jump.and the best Irish brain and personality.

Having a junior or sit on him makes sense for equitation, due to only juniors ride equitation, correct? Is just the rider judged in equitation or the horse too? I’m having a pro sit on him tomorrow and then he competes in some young horse classes before heading to Wellington.

That is is where my hesitation is in taking to Wellington, is it worth it to take a horse all the way down there? It won’t cost me an arm and a leg thankfully as he would only do the young horse classes and we have a place to stay and some top people interested in him. I’m torn with selling sooner in high fives or waiting for six figures, and I want him to go to a great home. He is still my “baby” and wouldn’t sell him if I had a money tree and could keep a jumper in my event barn.

How are rhe the lives of most Jumper/ equitation horses? What is a typical day for a horse? How often are horses competed? Being an event horse he is turned out 24/7 unless it’s storming, cold, or during the summer heat days. Just curious how the other half lives

HJ horses are more marketable if they have show miles with a junior or amateur. The idea is to prove the horse is less complicated, although some juniors and amateurs ride just as well as a pro. It tends to be juniors doing the catch riding because amateur rules make it more difficult for amateurs to catch ride, and because some of the juniors ride very very well.

Only riders are judged in equitation however they are judged heavily on the fluidity of their ride. The courses are incredibly technical at shows like WEF, much more technical than stadium courses at prelim which would be about the same height. These horses are unbelievably ridable and the best sell well into the six figures.

As for lives of HJ horses, that will vary greatly from barn to barn. Wellington as a rule has virtually zero turnout. Horses get ridden 6x/week, handwalked, put on a hot walker, and put in a small paddock for a few hours (not enough room to run). Turnouts at home vary greatly. The most conservative barns stay with the small paddock system year round, with the other end being group turnout all day or night (unlikely for a six figure horse but some places do). 24/7 turnout is virtually nonexistent as it’s very difficult to expect a horse that lives out to then spend a week in a stall at a horse show. Horses do tend to live on the road more than event horses but the amount a horse shows varies greatly. Jumpers do not get shown as much as equitation horses but then equitation horses only jump 1.15m or so.

I’m sure you’ll get mixed reviews on the life of an HJ horse, but they’re like any other horse - they need to be happy to perform well. HJ horses are managed differently than event horses but for the most part they get used the routine and do just fine.

You say Wellington “won’t cost me an arm and a leg thankfully as he would only do the young horse classes” but I would absolutely check your numbers before you go. Unless you are getting a break on training/board/pro fees I would not be surprised if you were to spend $20k for a month at Wellington.

[MustangTwist]

Without a show record in the H/J world, it would be hard to get six figures IMO. The choice may be between selling him for a bit less now vs. investing money in getting him a show record and potentially selling him for more later. But think carefully about how much it will cost to get that record (training fees, board, vet expenses, show fees, risk of injury, etc,). There’s always some degree of risk in waiting it out, but there could be a reward too.

How old is he? How tall is he? Why didn’t he make a successful upper level eventer? Does he have the scope to jump around 1.40/1.45 classes competitively? Is he amateur friendly? Is he fancy/versatile enough to show in all 3 rings? How much do you think he would be worth as an eventer? These questions are all going to be important in terms of pricing and marketing.

I’m an eventer turned show-jumper who is currently doing dressage. I’ve found that philosophies about things like turnout, competition schedules, conditioning, etc. vary as much within disciplines as across them. A lot of this will also have to do with location. In Northern CA, for example, everyone wants generous turnout but it’s hard to come by since land is so expensive. It’s hard to generalize. Your best bet would be to look at specific barns when people are trying him. Do they go to every show on the calendar? Do the horses all jump multiple classes on multiple days? Does their facility have decent turnout?

PS - Similar to @Renn/aissance, I love the Irish eventers. I’ll be in the market for a jumper prospect myself in the next year and will be targeting “flunked” event horses, partially for budgetary reasons and partially because it’s the type of ride I’m accustomed to. However, many riders might not want to take the risk (at least for a high 5s price tag) on something without an established record.
Best of luck!